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Forty-six years after a double homicide case in western Massachusetts went cold, an unexpected tip has led to an arrest, officials announced Wednesday.

Authorities charged 71-year-old Timothy Joley with two counts of murder on October 29 in connection to the 1978 deaths of Theresa Marcoux, 18, and Mark Harnish, 20.

Marcoux and Harnish were last seen leaving a friend’s party in the early hours of November 17, 1978.

Two days later, a police officer found Harnish’s green Dodge pickup truck parked at a rest stop in West Springfield. The window on the driver’s side was damaged and there was blood in and around the vehicle. The officer found the two victims’ remains over a guardrail not far from the truck, Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said during a news conference Wednesday.

An autopsy determined both victims had died of multiple gunshot wounds, and a ballistics report showed all shots had been fired from the same gun. Investigators concluded Marcoux and Harnish had been shot dead in the passenger compartment of the truck before their bodies were moved to the guardrail.

A witness who lived nearby reported hearing multiple gunshots at around 4 a.m., Gulluni said. Police never recovered a gun.

Investigators at the time found a fingerprint on the passenger vent window of the pickup truck that did not belong to Marcoux or Harnish, Gulluni said. It was entered into the Massachusetts Automated Fingerprint Identification System. It was also manually compared to around 70,000 known fingerprints, he said.

No identification was made, and the case went cold.

A break in the case came in October, when the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office received a call naming Joley as a potential person of interest. Investigators found that Joley, who resides in Clearwater, Florida, lived in Springfield, Massachusetts, around the time of the killings.

Investigators obtained a fingerprint identification card for Joley from the Springfield Police Department, which had it on file after he had been fingerprinted in 2000 for a taxicab license. A comparative analysis verified Joley’s fingerprint matched the one recovered from the murder site, Gulluni said.

“Investigators also learned that Joley was a licensed gun owner in November of 1978, and that he purchased a Colt handgun approximately one month before the murders,” Gulluni said.

The Springfield District Court issued a two-count murder complaint and arrest warrant on October 29, and authorities arrested Joley at his home in Clearwater on October 30. He is being held without bond at the Pinellas County Jail and will be moved to Massachusetts in the coming weeks, according to Gulluni.

Joley has not publicly commented on his arrest, and it is unclear whether he has an attorney.

Joley does not have a significant criminal record, the district attorney’s office said, and investigators are unaware of any motive or connection between the suspect and the victims.

Gulluni addressed members from Marcoux and Harnish’s family present at the news conference.

“I admire and respect you for your patience, resolve and the faith that I know you’ve maintained over these many years. I thank you for being here today,” he said. “While we may have crested a hill today and we can see justice in the distance, there are many more uphill battles ahead.”

He said both victims’ parents are now dead.

Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton isn’t the only congressman receiving blowback for saying that biological males and transgenders shouldn’t be competing in women’s sports.

More than 30 LGBTQ leaders across the country wrote a letter Friday demanding an apology from Moulton and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-New York, for spreading “harmful misinformation about our community, particularly transgender youth.”

Moulton continues to face stiff backlash after he told the New York Times last week that he’s concerned about his daughters’ safety on the playing field should they be forced to compete against transgender athletes, a subject he noted he’s not even supposed to broach as a member of the Democratic Party.

Suozzi also echoed similar comments to the New York Times after President-elect Trump won reelection: “The Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left. I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports.”

Suozzi, re-elected in a swing district last week, added: “Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”

In their letter Friday, dozens of LGTBQ leaders blasted Moulton and Suozzi for blaming their party for Trump’s victory and the Republican red wave across the country, saying the claim is “not only inaccurate but also fails to recognize the reality.”

“Americans overwhelmingly support the rights of transgender people,” the letter states. “This support is evident from the recent election of openly transgender candidates across the country, including in traditionally conservative areas.”

“Attacking the transgender community is a distraction tactic that Republicans have used time and again when they lack solutions to real problems,” it continues. “Democrats cannot fall into this trap. Instead of blaming marginalized communities, we should focus on addressing the challenges that impact all Americans, such as healthcare access, economic inequality, and public safety.

Jeremy Comeau, co-chairman of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats, an advocacy group for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a Cape and Islands representative on the Democratic State Committee, is leading the push for an apology from Moulton and Suozzi.

Massachusetts state Reps. John Moran, Jack Patrick Lewis and Natalie Higgins, and state Sens. Jo Comerford and Julian Cyr, had all signed onto the letter as of Friday morning.

The letter follows an initial demand for an apology that former interns and staffers penned to Moulton last weekend. That request also took exception to the congressman saying that pronouns in email signatures are “kind of weird.”

MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan has stated that Moulton’s comments don’t reflect the state party’s values, while Gov. Maura Healey is alleging the Salem representative of “playing politics.”

Despite the backlash, Moulton told the Herald on Tuesday that he is not anti-trans. The demands for an apology and calls for him to resign, he said, demonstrate the exact problem he was describing.

“That’s why it’s important for Democrats to win this debate,” he said. “Because, if we refuse to have the debate, Republicans will settle it on their terms and that’s dangerous for trans people and all other kinds of minorities across America.”

Originally Published: November 15, 2024 at 7:41 PM EST

We are just past the mid-point part of the 2024 high school football season here in Massachusetts and there’s no shortage of underclassmen performing at a high level. It’s no surprise that sophomores are showing out in Bay State as that’s been the case in the past many times over. This list of underclassmen features some of the top sophomores football players we’ve seen or have been on the rise in Massachusetts. Take a look at our list and vote for who you feel has been the top performing sophomores high school football player in Massachusetts. 

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. – SBLive Sports

Voting closes on December 8th, 11:59pm

Here are the nominees:

The signal caller has played really well through the season, completing 105-of-193 passes for 1,570 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Another sophomore signal caller that’s played really well this season is Machado for KIPP Lynn Academy Collegiate and he’s put up some solid stats. Machado has completed 100-of-181 passes for 1,089 yards and 15 touchdowns. Also has intercepted nine passes on defense.

Brockton has played just about as well as any sophomore signal caller this season and he’s got the numbers to prove it. The sophomore has thrown for 796 yards and four touchdowns.

Though Baker hasn’t seen as much time under center like the others ahead of him, his numbers match up pretty well. Baker has thrown for 592 yards and seven touchdowns.

Robles has been strong out of the backfield for Northeast Metro RVT, rushing for 740 yards on 119 carries and scoring six touchdowns.

The Case running back has carried the rock 72 carries for 446 yards and scored six touchdowns. Borges is also averaging 6.1 yards per carry.

Roy has been one of the state’s top sophomore receivers this season, hauling in 21 passes for 596 yards and scoring six touchdowns.

The sophomore wide receiver has played well this season, catching 33 passes for 557 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

The middle linebacker has been strong in the heart of the Franklin County Tech defense this season, with Whitman making 62 total tackles and six have gone for a loss.

The Lynn Classical linebacker has had a solid season in the front seven, totaling 61 tackles, three going for a loss and a sack so far this fall.

Askjaer has been a menace for opposing offensive linemen this fall, with the stalwart totaling 42 total tackles, eight have gone for a loss and eight sacks.

Follow SBLive Connecticut throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi